Another big event and one reason for our trip: the Farewell Show of the Mitsubishi F-1 at Tsuiki.
Unfortunately the rain did continue dropping on the roof when we woke up in our cold room on the rice mattress. Though it was still 5am we got up quite quick and left the hostel half an hour later. Getting up that early turned out to be a good decision as the parking was already well occupied at 6.30 despite all the rain still pouring down.
Once again we got up early on the 5th day of our trip, because that we would have our first Japanese Airshow at Iruma. Japanese friends we met the year before in Europehave told us that they have never been to Iruma, because "there are too many people". We could not understand that totally, but we should learn during the course of the day!
In connection with the Archangel fectivities the Hellenic Air Force also opens its airbases for the interestet public every two years for three days. Before my visit to the Airshow at Tanagra I used this opportunity to visit the bases Larissa and Nea Anghialos.
After walking up on the Axalp in deep snow two years ago and seeing the final presentation of the Mirage III RS up there I promised that this has been my last time. But how have I been wrong… Two summers passed and I was anxious how the Swiss Air Force would have replaced the spectacular reconnaissance approach towards the command post on the Ebenfluh shooting range, so I made my way up again.
If somebody would have told me last year that I will have the possibility to take photos at a Greek military airfield without restrictions I would not have believed him. Even more after all the stories that have been told about Greek security measures...
Mix a huge number of vintage aircraft, a lovely scenery in southern Germany, the best September weather and you will have all the ingredients for a successful Airshow. The Hahnweide Show, Germany's big meeting of historic aircraft, achieved it once again to fascinate thousands of visitors with all the unique aircraft they brought together at the airfield at Kirchheim/Teck. on September, 10th-11th.
Very rare are the occasions that you can admire an Aerobatic Team from Russia at an Airshow outside their own country, therefore it is no wonder that a lot of enthusiasts made their way to Brno in the Czech Republic on the week-end of September, 10th-11th 2005 for this year's Czech International Air Fest (CIAF) 2005.
Surely everybody knows the feeling when he is heading enthusiastically to an airshow hundreds of miles away to find out that the airfield is covered by a low layer of dark gray clouds combined with drizzling rain. Exactly that was the case for this year's airshow of the Danish Air Force at Karup Airbase.
The fact that military airshows are not yet fully reestablished within the German Air Force was fully proven during this year's Open Doors Day at Wunstorf AFB near Hanover. The show, being part of the festivities to celebrate 50 years of the Bundeswehr, was celebrated as a "Tag des Lufttransports". Due to this fact only two fighters in form of a German Tornado and Phantom were present on the ramp at Wunstorf and no jet displays were presented during the two short aerial displays in the morning and in the afternoon.
Farewell Eggebek!
Another chapter in the history of the German naval aviation was concluded on June, 18th 2005. This was the day of the last landing of a Marineflieger Tornado at NAS Eggebek due to the retirement of the jet fleet of the German Navy. In combination with this event and the fly-out ceremonies a family day was held on a remarkably sunny and hot day in the north of Germany.
Every second year the Airpower show is an highly attend event not only in the airshow calendar of the enthusiats but also amongst everyone in Austria how is keen on attending a nice and eventfull day out.
The whole show is sponsored by Red Bull, which reflects of course in the offered drinks and throughout the commentray the whole day long, but the entrance is free as well and you get 10h of non-stop flying activities.
And I did it again... Somehow I have to go at least once a year to Switzerland for one of their either very well or very scenic airshows. This time I went to the very south of Switzerland, only some more kilometers and I would have been in Italy. In the very scenic Ticino is Lugano located, on the board of a beautiful lake.
1926 exhibitors from 41 countries, 238 aircraft, 480.000 visitors in 7 days,among them 223.000 professionals and 257.000 spectators...
These numbers already make clear that this year's Paris Air Show has been a massive success. Pushed, of course, by the presence of the Airbus A380 at its first public appearance, the show attracted loads of visitors. Everybody wanted to see the "A trois cent quatre-vingt", and they were not disappointed as it flew daily.
After the farewell cermony for the Starfighter last year in Pratica di mare another area came to its end this year in May. On May, 21st the Czech Air Force held on open day at Caslav AFB (~80km east of Prague) to say good-bye to their MiG-21s and to welcome the newly acquired Saab Gripen.
Every year at the pentecost week-end the Cerny airfield near La Ferté-Alais, which is located around 90km south of Paris, is the big meeting point for the French and European Warbird and Oldtimer-scene. This year the weather was unfortunately not the very best with continuous rain on Saturday morning.
